New Test: Facebook Live From Desktop

Facebook Live broadcasting has been limited to smartphones since it rolled out in February to U.S. users. But that could be changing soon.

Is The Arrival Of Facebook Live For The Desktop Imminent?

In a Live Video posted today on Facebook, Delilah Taylor says she woke up today and discovered a new link for Live Video after she fired up her laptop.

So, of course, she clicked on it to test out. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to make it work, she said.

“When I first clicked live video it didn’t do anything,” Taylor said. “You gotta put in a comment and then you hit next, and when you hit next it will bring up a secondary screen, which kind of looks like a Google Hangout screen, and you can adjust your camera and microphone… Then you hit ‘Go Live.'”

Facebook Live: Mobile vs. Desktop

Just about all the Facebook Live desktop features are the same as what you’ll find on the smartphone.

Facebook tells you how long been live and how many people are watching in the desktop version of Live. However, she noted in the video that she couldn’t see the individual names of people who start watching, only the number.

One big difference between Facebook Live for the desktop and smartphone is the addition of a comment bar for the broadcaster. This gives broadcasters the ability to add their own comments, which you currently can’t do on Facebook Live broadcasts on a smartphone.

Taylor also mentioned that she didn’t see a screen-sharing option.

Taylor said her broadcast was done only through Facebook. She wasn’t using OBS, which is free software people have used to enable live broadcasts on Facebook from a Mac or PC, Taylor explained.

Can We Expect More Facebook Live Goodness?

“I wonder if this is part of the upgrade that’s gonna be with dual broadcasting,” Taylor speculated.

In June, Facebook announced that it would begin allowing live two-person broadcasts (with people in different locations). This was expected to roll out before the end of summer.

This video was spotted today in the Social Media Managers Facebook group by SEJ Executive Editor Kelsey Jones.

Update: Facebook confirmed this is just starting to roll out to desktops and laptops. The feature is only available to a “small percentage” of users right now:

We’re starting to roll out the ability for people to broadcast live on Facebook from their desktop or laptop.